In January 2015, Paris was in our prayers. On January 7, 12 people were killed at the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Two days later, four hostages were killed at a kosher supermarket in a related attack.
At the Golden Globes on January 11, 2015, George Clooney received the Cecil B. DeMille Award. He dedicated the final portion of his speech to the unity marches in Paris and beyond after the attacks.
“And one last thing: to reiterate what we’ve all been talking about, today was an extraordinary day,” said Clooney. “There were millions of people who marched not just in Paris, but around the world. And they were Christians and Jews and Muslims. They were leaders of countries all over the world. And they didn’t march in protest; they marched in support of the idea that we will not walk in fear. We won’t do it. So, Je Suis Charlie (I am Charlie). Thank you.”
In times like those, this was the kind of message that could help unite us all. After all, we all are made of the same bone and creator. The words went beyond political slogans. They were about refusing to let fear divide the world. The level of U.S. representation at the Paris march also raised questions at the time about the leadership America should portray against fear and terrorism.
At that moment in 2015, if Clooney had made a run for President in 2016, he certainly would have had my vote. His final message was the reason: we will not walk in fear.
